I have been to 3 movies in 15 years due to the theather shootings. So, shamefully I will tell you I've let it change my life. i do eat with my back to the door, I'm aware in a crowd the closest exits, I'm a very alert in church and I always travel with a weapon. Have a plan, then practice the plan. In a live fire event you respond how you practiced.

Either way, life is dangerous- Last week, some a-hole was texting and slammed into my wife and I at 60mph. He never hit his brakes. We were in her work vehicle (suburu Forester) and walked away from the accident. Car totaled, other driver transported with lacerations, neck pains, Airbag burns ect. We live in a very fast paced society and people are careless, unobservant, and irrersponsible.

Some things to think about:

How many of you with children have a 'safe phrase' that a stranger would have to know before your child would leave with them?
Do you have a plan on who is picking up your child if the cell towers and power go down (a very real reality with cyber crimes now)?
Do you have a word/phrase you use in the house to tell everyone to hide in designated spots in the event of a home invasion?

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What about a safe phrase for when the night “activities” get too rough?

I get the concern and agree we should have our heads on a pivot these days when out and about.
But the fact is evil walks the earth evil in many forms but most of all in the hearts of man.

With that being said I personally think more folks need to chill eat more bbq drink a beer or two and relax.

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Something that is never brought up when discussing violence is the roll the high carb, high sugar, processed food, hormone enriched, and high alcohol diet plays in creating a chemical imbalance and altering how we perceive reality.

Something that is never brought up when discussing violence is the roll the high carb, high sugar, processed food, hormone enriched, and high alcohol diet plays in creating a chemical imbalance and altering how we perceive reality.

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Hey now. I have an extremely high alcohol diet and I've never shot anyone. In fact, from about 5pm to 9pm it's almost strictly alcohol.
Come to think of it; I've spent a lot of time in Europe and China and never stabbed anyone either.

Hey now. I have an extremely high alcohol diet and I've never shot anyone. In fact, from about 5pm to 9pm it's almost strictly alcohol.
Come to think of it; I've spent a lot of time in Europe and China and never stabbed anyone either.

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Some people are less susceptible to the chemical imbalance. For some it hits later in life. Then again, if it weren't for alcohol, some others probably wouldn't be alive.
I have been sober just over 5 years now and have recently straightened my diet out. I am a different person now abeit mostly due to dropping the carbs, sugars, and processed foods.
Oh yeah, my tits are getting smaller due to quitting the GMO and hormone injected chicken breasts.

Unfortunately, in the past 20 years in the US, mass shootings have been given so much attention on TV and in social media, that I'm sure they have come to be viewed by some as a normal way to lash out. I'm not saying at all that I think we should collectively ignore them when they happen, but I'd bet a lot of the shooters in recent years wouldn't ever have gotten the idea or had the balls to carry out their evil plan, if it wasn't on the news and Facebook all the time.

Unfortunately, in the past 20 years in the US, mass shootings have been given so much attention on TV and in social media, that I'm sure they have come to be viewed by some as a normal way to lash out. I'm not saying at all that I think we should collectively ignore them when they happen, but I'd bet a lot of the shooters in recent years wouldn't ever have gotten the idea or had the balls to carry out their evil plan, if it wasn't on the news and Facebook all the time.

OP asked that we be aware of how we reply to this so it doesnt get shut down and I think we should respect that. I think that you're tiptoeing that line @ShreveportTSS
Probably went over the line. I do think we should be able to keep this thread open without crossing lines like we have with other topics.

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Good thing you aren't a mod.

Always be aware of your surroundings. Many things mentioned above are good rules. Don't alter your lifestyle or they win. Go where you want to go.

I even make sure at stoplights to stay far enough away that I would not be trapped if something were to happen. Always carry your cellphone into stores. Just good practice. Get a CC license and carry. I have had encounters with cops that ask me if I'm carrying when I show them my drivers and CC license. The times I wasn't carrying, the cop asked me "Why not?"

I’m a huge fan of fire arms. I find it odd that it was nothing to see 50 shotguns and rifles in the back windows of unlocked pickup trucks in the high school parking lot when I was a kid and no one batted an eye. Now everyone needs a “safe space” and my kid can’t wear a Remington t-shirt to school.

I don't know that I would call it loving in fear. When I'm at a stoplight that changes from green to red, I look both ways. It's not that I'm afraid to get hit by someone who runs the light, I just don't want to deal with everything that comes from an accident...and I would prefer to not have myself smashed by some jackass who wants to get somewhere 7 seconds quicker. Or at a restaurant, movie theater....etc. I know the exits, I pay attention to my surroundings, I watch people. Not out of fear, but to not get caught off guard.

I would say it's to be prepared for the worst possible situation, not living in fear.

Unfortunately, in the past 20 years in the US, mass shootings have been given so much attention on TV and in social media, that I'm sure they have come to be viewed by some as a normal way to lash out. I'm not saying at all that I think we should collectively ignore them when they happen, but I'd bet a lot of the shooters in recent years wouldn't ever have gotten the idea or had the balls to carry out their evil plan, if it wasn't on the news and Facebook all the time.

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And about 40 years ago the idea of "deinstitutionalization" took off. Mental institutions were shut down and the patents were allowed to go home with a fist full of prescriptions and self medicate. First problem with this is, most mentally ill people do not think they are mentally ill so they get to a point where they stop taking their meds.

About the same time the rampant homelessness and mass shootings started. Coincidence? You tell me.

I know all these shooters had never been institutionalized, that's because it nearly takes an act of congress to have that happen. But rest assured that every one of these shooters had been in contact, someway or at some time with mental health care system. Just because not every one of them has a news report about their brushes with mental health care and treatment doesn't mean they weren't in the system, HIPA laws applies to them and a lot of time we don't know the extent of their mental illnesses.

To answer the statement "they all aren't mentally ill." I ask, what sane person would shoot and kill random innocent people?

These shootings do not happen in other countries because a lot of them do not prescribe to the deinstitutionalization theory.

In 50 years from now society will look back at us and question why we treated the mentally ill so inhumanly as to allow them to live on the streets and commit random acts of violence.

Just so you know, I have a Brother in Law who, if it were not for his sister, my Wife, he'd be one of those living on the streets and having a case manager wondering, briefly, what ever happened to him.

OP asked that we be aware of how we reply to this so it doesnt get shut down and I think we should respect that. I think that you're tiptoeing that line @ShreveportTSS
Probably went over the line. I do think we should be able to keep this thread open without crossing lines like we have with other topics.

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Truth hurts some people. It is why this country is in its current state of mind....if you believe the media.

Truth hurts some people. It is why this country is in its current state of mind....if you believe the media.

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We have to be mindful of other’s “feelings” because many were coddled as children and/or haven’t served in the military.

I have customers in the Netherlands that I visit several times a year and have heard all kinds of arguments against our gun laws.

Five of them came to visit my plant last August and it was their first trip to the US. I took them to an indoor shooting range one evening and trap shooting the next day. They shot 12 different guns in total and absolutely loved it.

I haven’t heard a complaint about our gun laws since. Three are coming back in November and have already requested a trip to the range again.

I think the best thing is to be aware of your surroundings. Like many here, my wife knows when we are at a restaurant I face the door. I’m simply observant. I make a quick “get out fast” plan in my head and then move on.

I stop a bit shorter at stop lights so I can move if needed. I do a double “right left right” look when the light turns green (saved my butt from getting t boned twice last winter).